Meh. Very little sense of terror and a frustratingly bland ending, where the villain suddenly

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changes her mind about the effectiveness of her treatments

, because a bland Victorian guy who feels sorry for

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and wants to marry

the lady's bland 18-year-old companion says so. You'd think a story that strives to be gothic would be at least a tad more exciting, but I guess not. Maybe if it was a little shorter with a more effective atmosphere or a full-length novel where Lady Ducayne was explored more (I actually kind of liked her character), but as it is Good Lady Ducayne isn't all that. Is it a vampire story? I realize that the treatment of vampires can vary a great deal, but is

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blood transfusion

enough to categorize something as a vampire story? I'm not convinced (sounds more like a sensation novel), but I'm willing to reconsider.